Only Photo Jesse James Signed

March 16, 2011

Jesse James was usually on the run and left very little of himself behind, but on one occasion he did sign a photo that Leslie Hindman Auctioneers is offering on April 5th in Chicago.Â The pre-sale estimate is $20,000–$30,000.Â The albumen print is the only signed copy known to exist.

James’ granddaughter said the print was the real thing. She inherited it directly from the outlaw’s widow. After the granddaughter died her husband sold it, and it has been in private hands for more than 50-years.Â A rare but unsigned photo of Billy The Kid will be offered by another auctioneer in June, who hopes for $300,000-$400,000, suggesting the James estimate may be quite low.

Back in 1970 at an MGM sale, a retired postal worker named Gerald Sola spotted the suit that Gene Kelly wore in his iconic “Singin’ In the Rain” solo in the legendary film of the same name. Noticing the water stains still on the jacket, Sola paid $10. “I knew right away what it was,” he said. Yesterday at a Heritage auction in Dallas, the new owner, Planet Hollywood, had to spend a bit more. The restaurant chain, which has what it calls the “world’s largest assemblage of memorabilia,” paid $106,000 for the suit.

Early in 1974, Bruce Springsteen wrote a draft of the lyrics for his classic “Born To Run.” This wasn’t the final version; the rock star would revise the lyrics considerably. The handwritten draft, however, does contain marginal notes and a variety of alternate word choices that provide a rare glimpse of the artist’s working methods. When it comes up for auction tomorrow at Sotheby’s in New York, the document is expected to sell for as much as $100,000.

The items themselves sound more appropriate for a yard sale than an auction: 9 fedora hats, 14 pairs of jeans, 27 pairs of sunglasses, salt and pepper shakers shaped like poodles, and a collection of ceramic cats. What sets them apart, however, is the identity of their owner, Boston mobster and convicted killer Whitey Bulger, finally captured in 2011 in Santa Monica, California. Federal prosecutors haven’t said when or where the auction of Bulger’s belongings will take place but when it happens, the proceeds will benefit the families of his victims.